joy

Joy:   a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Synonyms: delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture

Don't you want to be all of that?!!  What if it was as simple as saying to yourself, "I am joyful, I am bliss..."? Why can't it be?!!!

Alistair Shearer states of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, "Yoga is a way to restore our lost wholeness, our integrity as complete human beings, by unifying the personality around a center that is silent, unbounded, spacious, and joyful."

 Read the part I put in bold again.  You see? You are already joy and all its synonyms! You may have forgotten but that is your true state.

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."  Rabindranath Tagore

So, in class today, everyone had a piece of paper and here is the exercise we did.  A shout out to Silvia Mordini for this idea, who got it from Laura Hand, who got it from jackicarr.com...

"A Simple Exercise in JOY

Take out a sheet of paper. Now, title the top of the page: JOY.

On that blank canvas of really endless possibilities, start to write down what brings you joy, love and great life moments. 

1) (past) When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

2) (past) Think of a time you were proud of yourself. Just all out, pat myself on the back, go me, proud! What were you up to?

3) (past) Feel a time you felt absolutely connected to someone or a community? Who with and
where?

4) (future) Think of an endeavor, adventure or goal that makes your heart beat faster. What are you doing? Who are you with?

5) (future) How do you want to wake up and feel tomorrow?

Note: WRITE IT DOWN. The action of merely answering the question in your head will not suffice. Actually write them down; seeing them on paper is monumental. I am not even kidding.

Okay, now that you have your JOY written down, it serves as a map. Take this map and get going on your radical journey of  joy. Open up your calendar, find space. Don’t have any? Clear space. And then,  add more of what is on that paper, add more, more, more JOY to your life.
NOW."   
 
 
I've decided the word JOY should be an acronym for journey. only. you.

In other words, only you can choose your path.
 Write down at the top of your sheet, "I choose joy."